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Button says McLaren can still challenge for wins in 2013

Jenson Button isn't writing off the 2013 season just yet. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

An optimistic Jenson Button says he hasn't ruled out McLaren winning a race this year, despite the team's troubles.

Indeed, he expects the MP4-28 to be good enough to fight for the podium in the next race at Spa. The Belgian track obviously favors good straightline speed, and ultimate downforce levels are not significant.

“We still want to win a race, and I think we still can win a race,” said Button in Hungary Thursday. “It's not going to be a complete bad year. I think we started the season, and it was a tough few races. Sometimes that's good for a team. I think the last race for us was a good step forward, and the morale is high after that race, which is good to see.

“Obviously, we're still not going to be happy with finishing sixth or fifth; we want to be fighting for wins. But I think for us to see a definite step forward in terms of performance was very positive in Nürburgring. And here we have some more parts, which should help us get close to the front. I don't know what we're going to do here in terms of where we're going to finish; I don't think anyone knows with these high temperatures.

“But Spa is a race that I'm really interested in and excited about fighting for a podium. I think that has to be our aim, and I think we can. It's definitely moving forward. As I said, the main aim is to win a Grand Prix this year, and Spa is, at the moment, probably the best race to go and look for that.

Asked why he thought Belgium would be good for the car, he added, “We understand that circuit, we understand what we should bring for that circuit in terms of aero, and also I think we're chipping away with the car the whole time, finding things.

“One thing helps many different things on the car. It's going in the right direction. And as a team, maybe it's a good thing that we've had issues. You start looking at every tiny detail, and when you put it all together it can make a big difference.”